More
by bluedragneel0
Summary: A month after the Alvarez Empire and Acnologia are defeated, a celebratory banquet is held in Crocus. Natsu and Lucy are asked to do the first dance! What feelings arise from their romantic waltz? NaLu. Rated T for language.


The ballroom was full of guilds from all across Fiore. They were currently in Crocus celebrating Fairy Tail's win against the Alvarez Empire, and the defeat of Zeref and Acnologia. To say that the Fiore family was pleased was a major understatement. They were so pleased that they threw a celebratory banquet like the one they held after the Grand Magic Games.

Despite Natsu's disturbances against Crocus, he was one of the honored guests. He defeated both Zeref and Acnologia, which made the royal family very happy. Currently, he was standing with Lucy by the buffet table. Lucy was also an honored guest, due to her lead in casting the Fairy Sphere.

"Natsu, you can eat a turkey leg, but at least put it on a plate," Lucy said while pinching the bridge of her nose. Natsu brought the meat down from his mouth and put it back onto the buffet table. Lucy sweatdropped.

"Just put it on a plate! You're not supposed to just put it back!" Lucy shrieked.

"Sorry, Lucy, I'm not getting a plate, that ain't my style. I'd rather just not eat at all. Besides, I promised you I would behave," Natsu shrugged as he played with something in his pocket.

"Natsu it's just a plate! You don't have to sit down with it just hold it under your food while yo-" Lucy started, before being interrupted by loud microphone feedback.

"Can I have everyone's attention?" Hisui began. She stood up on the balcony that towered the ballroom, next to her father, the current King of Fiore. "Hi everyone, and I want to thank you all for your attendance this evening. Normally, my father would lead these sorts of things, but in a few months, he's planning on retiring, and I will be taking over as Queen." At this, the crowd gave loud cheers. Hisui smiled graciously. "Thank you, but as I was saying, being Queen is a lot of work. So I'm trying to prepare myself by involving myself a bit more. " She stated, smiling at her father who knew she was ready anyway.

"Look, I would've had to put it down anyways," Natsu whispered to Lucy as she rolled her eyes and grabbed onto his sleeve, and tugged him along with her as they began walking towards the center of the ballroom.

The beginning of Hisui's welcoming speech was Natsu and Lucy's queue. To Natsu's dismay, they were asked to have the first dance of the evening. Almost every one of Lucy's toes was bruised from their practices, but it was worth it since now he wouldn't make fools of themselves in front of most of the guilds in Fiore and the royal family. Despite Lucy telling Erza that she could help Natsu on her own, she insisted on helping them practice. Her methods of "teaching" were _brutal_, even though it was just ballroom dancing. Gray and Gajeel also hooted and hollered at Natsu the whole time, making it very difficult to keep him focused. Surprisingly, Natsu kept Happy from making his lewd comments somehow.

Natsu and Lucy subtly shuffled through the crowd, trying to be discreet so they wouldn't take the attention away from Princess Hisui. Lucy smiled when she felt Natsu grab onto her hand so they could stay close together.

"I would like to honor two very special guests, Natsu Dragneel, who defeated both Zeref and Acnologia, and Lucy Heartfilia who lead the Fairy Sphere to defeat Acnologia's dragon form, connecting every wizard in Fiore's magic power." At this announcement, the crowd clapped and cheered for the couple that now stood in the center of the ballroom. Natsu smiled and soaked up the applause as Lucy bashfully smiled and waved.

"To begin the night, they are going to perform the first dance of the evening. I again thank you all for coming to our celebratory banquet. Wizards, please enjoy yourselves, as we applaud all of you for your hard work, and for keeping the kingdom of Fiore safe," Hisui finished with a cursty, as the crowd clapped for her.

After Hisui left the balcony, all eyes turned to Natsu and Lucy in the middle of the floor, as people backed away to make more than enough room for them to dance.

Natsu turned to face her and smiled as he got closer to her and offered his hand. She smiled at him and took it, placing her other hand on his shoulder. Natsu took his other hand and placed it onto her waist and bringing them just a _tiny_ bit closer if that was even possible.

When the live musicians began to play, Lucy felt her body go into autopilot, while her thoughts focused on the man she was dancing with.

Natsu, however, was already sweating and trying to focus on his steps, head tilted slightly down to watch his feet. Looking at his concentrated facial expression, she couldn't help but giggle. It wasn't often that he looked like this, he normally just acted on impulse, he didn't normally take that much time into thinking about his actions.

Natsu looked up from his feet, wondering what she could be laughing at while in their situation.

"What's so funny?!" He asked her while still trying to make sure he didn't miss a step.

"Nothing," Lucy smiled. "You are just so focused, I don't think I've ever seen you think through your actions this much before," she said.

"I don't want to mess up! I went through enough of that 'training' with Erza. I bet if I miss one step she'll abuse me later," he cringed. "I also gotta make sure I don't embarrass you in front of all these people, right?"

Lucy, suddenly now painfully aware of all of the eyes on her and Natsu, clutched onto his scarf to keep her composure. He insisted on wearing it with his tux and knowing he wouldn't change his mind she didn't argue with him. She couldn't deny it, even with the scarf, Natsu looked _great_ in a tux. Black really did suit him.

Lucy wore a navy blue ball gown, not a poofy one, but one that showed off her curves and one of her legs, due to the slit down the side. She also sported long white gloves that went up a little past her elbows. She wore gold jewelry, although choosing to not wear a necklace. She never put that much effort into her appearance, but tonight she wanted to look nice, hoping she could maybe catch someone's attention. She definitely succeeded, because Natsu thought she looked gorgeous.

Lucy took a deep breath to calm her nerves. "Just don't think about it too much. Relax and it will come to you naturally," she said.

Natsu nodded and his tight grip on her loosened just a bit, and he kept his eyes on her instead of his feet. As they twirled across the floor, their only focus was on each other. They danced in comfortable silence for several eight counts, or "eight moves" as Natsu phrased it.

"Am I doing okay?" Natsu asked with a small smile.

Not trusting herself enough to give him a verbal response, she nodded her head, too entranced by the man in front of her. He had brought her slightly closer to him, her head almost resting on his chest. She was in such a haze, she almost felt drunk. That is until he stepped on one of her toes.

"Damn, guess I got too comfortable," Natsu laughed. "I didn't get you too bad did I?" he asked.

Lucy couldn't help but laugh as she shook her head. "Not too bad, you got one of the ones that aren't already bruised."

"I'm sorry, you don't think anyone saw do you?" Natsu questioned, looking off to the side to see if anyone watching had noticed.

"I'm sure if they did they aren't surprised. You don't really come across as the dancing type."

"What's that supposed to mean?!" Natsu practically yelled, offended that Lucy thought he couldn't dance. Lucy pressed her face into his chest to hide her laughter, while still making sure to keep her feet moving.

"Natsu, let's be real, do you think you look like a guy who goes to these things often?" Lucy asked.

"Fair point, I am better at this than Ice Dick though. Right?"

"Definitely." She said, smiling at him. "Speaking of Gray, where is everyone? I know we're up here, but I haven't seen them anywhere."

"Probably getting drinks, it's open bar tonight," Natsu replied.

"Really?" Lucy asked excitedly, gasping as Natsu suddenly spun her. When she returned into her position, she saw his eyes open as wide as saucers.

"Not for you, Lucy. I promised you I would behave, now you have to promise me that you'll stay sober." Natsu shuddered at the thought of Lucy the last time she was drunk.

Lucy puffed out her cheeks. "Fine. Oh, there they are! I see Gray has already ditched his suit," she said, looking over his shoulder at the bar and seeing some of her guildmates getting drinks, sweatdropping at Gray's almost naked state.

"Can't say I blame him, this suit is itchy," Natsu said, pulling at the collar of his tux.

"Well, you're not allowed to strip out of it. Besides, it looks good on you," Lucy said, sheepishly smiling at him.

"I know," Natsu said, returning her smile with a confident smirk, turning Lucy's legs to jelly. Lucky for her, their dance was coming to an end. As the music came to a close, Natsu finished their dance, bringing her into a low dip. You could hear most of Fairy Tail hooting and hollering for the pair, while the more "proper" guests clapped.

Lucy tuned out the applause from the crowd as she focused her thoughts on the fiery dragon-slayer bringing her _slowly_ back up, bringing his arm higher up her back.

They hadn't practiced that.

When Lucy was back standing upright, Natsu turned them to the bar and began walking over to their friends, keeping an arm around her waist.

"That was better than I thought it would be!" Natsu said cheerily.

When they reached the bar, Natsu released his hold on Lucy and made his way to Gray to send him verbal threats instead of physically hurting him. Lucy went to go chat with Erza and Levy, trusting Natsu to not misbehave.

"Hey, Lu-Chan!" Levy waved as Lucy walked up to her and Erza. "You guys did such a good job! Did Natsu get any of your toes this time?"

"Only once! I was happily surprised!" Lucy replied. "He's actually not too bad at it once he relaxes."

"I'm glad the intense lessons were worth it," Levy said, Erza patting herself on the back as her teaching methods proved effective. "I just wish Gajeel would dance with me," Levy sighed, twirling the straw around inside her drink.

"You want me to make him?!" Erza said loudly, abruptly standing up from her seat and gaining the attention of a few others who were sitting nearby.

Both Levy and Lucy sweat-dropped. "No thanks, but Juvia might need you to knock some sense into Gray. He needs to man up!"

"I think Juvia won't be able to dance tonight, it looks like she's already drunk," Lucy commented, watching Juvia drape herself over Gray and soaking him with her tears. "Anyway, why won't Gajeel dance with you?" Lucy questioned.

"The thing about Gajeel is that he's surprisingly very private, I think if we weren't at such a big event he would," Levy said, obviously disappointed at the lack of public affection but she seemed satisfied.

Both Lucy and Erza nodded in understanding.

Levy continued, "But that doesn't make me love him any less, that's just the way he is."

"Aww, you guys are so cute," Erza said putting her chin in the palm of her hand dreamily. "I hope one day I can have something like that with someone." Lucy rolled her eyes.

"Erza don't say that! You might hurt Jellal's feelings!" Lucy said in between giggles, while Levy brought a hand over her mouth to hide her laughter. Erza's face turned 50 shades of red and practically had steam pouring out of her ears.

"I just wish I could see him more..." Erza said while playing with her fingers. "I might see if I can talk to Hisui about getting him pardoned. I hate seeing him have to sneak around," she continued. Princess Hisui was kind enough that you could go up and talk to her and she wouldn't make you address her like a princess.

"Are you sure? That might not end too well. I mean, Hisui is very kind, but she is going to be Queen in a few months. You heard her earlier, she's trying to take a bit of charge. It wouldn't surprise me if she gave him a harsh punishment to show authority," Levy pondered, taking a sip of her drink. Erza sighed.

"I know. But it can't hurt to try. It's not like I'm gonna give away his location if she does plan on punishing him and the rest of Crime Sorcière," Erza said, obviously worried about him.

Lucy gasped. "You know where he is?" she asked. Jellal normally didn't give many details on his future location when he left.

Erza smiled. "We like to write letters." Both Lucy and Levy gasped.

"That's so romantic!" Levy gushed with her hands crossed over her chest as if she was clutching her heart.

"Well, that and I pretty much wouldn't let him leave until he told me. But seriously, Lucy, you're gonna have to help me with my first one, I'm not the best writer," Erza said. This surprised neither Levy or Lucy because Erza didn't really succeed in the arts.

"Of course!" Lucy said with a smile.

They continued chatting for a bit until they heard a loud bang. Both Lucy and Erza turned around in rage to see who did it. Natsu had grabbed Gray by his tie (which was the only thing he currently wore other than his boxers) and was about to throw him into a table until both girls sent him death stares. He immediately laid off in fear and brought his arms up defensively to show he had let go

"Sorry ladies, I have to go," Lucy said behind gritted teeth. She stomped her way over to Natsu and smacked the back of his head.

"Oops," Natsu said rubbing the back of his skull.

"No, it's not, 'oops!' You're lucky I caught you before you threw him, otherwise, you would've had to take the punishment we talked about," Lucy said crossing her arms. Natsu shuddered at the thought of this "punishment," being that Lucy handed him over to Erza.

"I'm sorry, he just looked so _punchable_! I get the strongest urges sometimes that I can barely help it. I also haven't been on a job in a while, this stupid job ban Gramps has us on is pissin' me off! I've got all this pent up energy." Natsu grumbled as he fiddled with something in his pocket.

The job ban was just put up to make sure no one went out on work until everyone was 100% recuperated. It had been about a month since the war was over, but there was still a bit of physical damage left done as well as emotional. A portion of Natsu's arm was still wrapped, and even though he claimed to feel fine, whenever something scratched at it the wrong way Lucy could see him wince just the slightest bit. While many other mages were still physically recovering, many members just wanted to relish in their time together, coming so close to losing each other just a month ago.

Gray and Juvia were definitely quieter, they had fallen into a routine of eating together at their table in the back of the guild every day. He also escorted her home every night, making sure she made it back to the dorms okay. Nobody had asked them what happened with them, but everyone knew that whatever it was was bad enough that it didn't need to be brought up again. Levy practically lived at Gajeel's apartment, most of the girls in Fairy Hills claimed she only came back to grab clothes and a few books from her collection.

Lucy had also noticed Natsu's different behavior. He always seemed to be near her, and he also became more touchy. His arm was either wrapped around her shoulder or her waist, which he did before, but not as frequent as it was now. Something new, however, was him holding her hand. This he did randomly. They could be sitting at a table chatting with their friends and he would lace his fingers with hers under the table, or be walking to the guild from her apartment and their hands would brush up against one another before he would grab one and swing it in between them happily. He and Happy's presence at her apartment spiked, probably because she didn't make him leave as much anymore.

"Face it Lu-she, you can't change him," Happy said as he suddenly appeared, flying over both their heads before landing on Natsu's pink mane.

"Hey, little buddy! Where have you been?" Natsu asked, raising one of his hands to pet between his ears.

"The buffet table, they had a whole plate of fishies! You were supposed to pick your own and they would cook it for you, but I insisted that the best way to eat them is raw," Happy replied.

"_Had_?" Lucy asked.

"Do you think I would waste so many good fishies!?," Happy said, laughing, as Natsu gave him a high five. Lucy laughed with them while rolling her eyes.

"Anyway, I promise when we get back to the guild tomorrow you can brawl it out for as long as you want," Lucy said, hoping this would keep him in line for the rest of the night.

"Great! Thanks, Lucy!" Natsu said as he quickly wrapped his arms around her from behind, smiling at her.

"Damn salamander, you are _whipped_," Gajeel snickered as he walked by with Levy on his arm.

"Now you listen here iron breath-!" Natsu said, quickly letting go of Lucy and stomping over to Gajeel before being interrupted.

"Excuse me, Natsu?" Princess Hisui called as she walked up from behind Lucy. "Sorry, I hope I'm not interrupting anything," she continued politely.

"Oh not at all, Princess!" Lucy said, grabbing the back of Natsu's blazer and pulling him back next to her. "Natsu was just going to _talk_ to his good friend, Gajeel, right?" Lucy asked, staring right into Natsu's eyes giving him a silent message.

"Yeah, sure," Natsu said, scratching the back of his neck. He wasn't trying to start a fight right in front of Fiore's future queen and get reprimanded for it later. Happy snickered at their interaction before flying off, probably to go chat with Charle or see if there were any fish left at the buffet table.

"Don't worry this will only take a second. I just wanted to tell you guys that your dance was amazing! You guys look so cute together," Hisui gushed, smiling at the now burning red faces of the said duo. "I also wanted to thank you, Natsu, for your civility tonight. Your friends seem to be.. ahem, really _letting loose_..." Hisui commented, looking off to the side at some of the drunk guild members, including their guild master that was being scolded by Porlyusica about his behavior. Gray and Gajeel also seemed to be starting some fuss.

"Uh, you're welcome?" Natsu said, surprised that Hisui hadn't seen him and Gray's spat earlier.

"Hey, uh, Princess? I think Erza actually wanted to talk to you about something. I think she's near the bar somewhere," Lucy said, trying to help out her friend.

"Oh, okay! And also, you don't have to call me Princess. Just Hisui is fine!" She replied, giving both Natsu and Lucy a smile. "And again, thank you for tonight, and for all of the heroic work you and the rest of your guild did for Fiore," Hisui said.

"Don't mention it, we're Fairy Tail wizards, that's what we do," Natsu said, giving her one of his infamous grins. Hisui waved goodbye and walked towards the bar in search of Erza.

"I'm gonna go get back to that turkey leg I had earlier," Natsu said before dashing away in the direction Happy went. Lucy just hoped he would use a plate.

"Heyyy Lucy!~" Lucy heard someone yell from the bar. There Cana sat on a stool, a bottle of wine in hand, most likely drunk from spending her night drinking. "Don't be a prude and come have a drink!" She shouted before throwing back another swig of wine. Lucy sweatdropped and walked up to her.

"I don't think that's a good idea, Cana. You know how I get when I'm drunk..." Lucy said, embarrassed as she thought back to what Happy teased her about after they came home from the hot springs.

After Cana finished her "_sip_," she looked at Lucy, unamused. "Don't worry about that Lucy, none a' this stuff will get you that drunk, it's all fancy and bubbly. I been drinkin' all night and I'm fine!" Cana said, stumbling a bit over her words and holding out the wine bottle, offering Lucy a sip.

'_Well... I guess one wouldn't hurt,' _Lucy thought before taking the bottle and taking a drink.

A couple of sips later, Lucy felt a bit tipsy. She knew she was a lightweight, so she decided to stop there before she lost total control of herself. So, to clear it from her system a bit she got a glass of water and went outside onto the balcony for some fresh air. The cool breeze on her face felt great and also brought back a bit of nostalgia.

The last time Lucy was on a balcony, she was with Aquarius after Brandish had saved Natsu by shrinking his tumor.

Aside from finishing her novel, the one thing Lucy wanted to do was get her key back. Her and Aquarius's relationship was definitely _different,_ but she cherished it nonetheless. Aquarius was one of her first spirits, and despite her being a total witch, she loved and missed her. If she were here now she would probably be teasing Lucy about her lack of a boyfriend. '_But why would I need a boyfriend when I have Nat-' _Lucy stopped herself.

'_No Lucy, don't think like that, Don't ruin what you have,' _Lucy thought, scolding herself.

But she couldn't help it.

The way he cared for her, and everything they had been through together, he was just so desirable. The way he held her at night in her bed gave her butterflies. Whenever they touched, Lucy always felt fireworks and couldn't help but wonder if Natsu felt it too. He just made her so happy, and she couldn't help but want more.

Did he even know that he was being borderline romantic with her?

Natsu wasn't stupid. But could he possibly be too dense for anything to ever happen?

"Hey, Luce!"

Speak of the devil.

"Whatcha doing out here? Party's inside!" Natsu said as he came up beside her.

"I came out here for a bit of air... Cana got me to take a few sips of her wine," Lucy said, bashfully twirling a piece of her hair.

Natsu took a cautious step back. "Are you sober?" He squeaked.

Lucy huffed. "Yes Natsu, I'm fine. Hey, where's Happy?" She asked, not seeing the annoying blue cat anywhere in sight.

Natsu retook his place next to her, leaning on the balcony railing that overlooked the capital of Fiore. "He's still at the buffet table. I saw you come out here so I wanted to make sure you were alright," Natsu replied, nudging her arm with his elbow.

Lucy turned and smiled at him. "Thank's Natsu. You're really sweet, you know?"

Natsu grinned back at her, wrapping an arm around her shoulder and tugging her closer to him. "Anything for my best friend."

"Really? I thought Happy was your best friend?" Lucy asked, now blushing at their closeness.

"Well, he is? But you are too though... Ugh, my head feels funny!" Natsu wailed, taking his other hand and clutching his forehead. Lucy chuckled.

"Don't worry Natsu, I know Happy will always be your best friend. And who says you can't have two?" Lucy said, bringing her glass of water up to her mouth to take a sip.

"You're more than a best friend."

Lucy stopped mid-sip in shock and felt her cheeks grow warm. Natsu stared at the ground for a moment before clearing his throat. They were silent for a moment.

"Hey, uh, are you still carrying Aquarius's key?" Natsu asked, breaking the silence, but still looking towards the ground.

Lucy nodded. "Don't laugh at me when you see where I had to keep it tonight, dresses don't exactly come with pockets," Lucy said before bashfully reaching into her bra and pulling out the small key stub.

Yes, Lucy told Natsu about Aquarius. They were at her apartment a few days after the war ended when she opened up to him about it. That night Natsu had felt so guilty about leaving her, he already felt bad about leaving her all alone, but now that he knew that she was grieving over a lost key made it even worse. They both broke open like a dam, all of the pain from the previous war came flooding out with tears. That night she felt so protected as he held her in his arms promising he would never leave her again.

"You see I figured that... After you told me about her and how you take her key everywhere I figured that not all of your skimpy outfits come with places to keep it," Natsu said, reaching into his pocket that he had been fiddling with something in all night.

"Hey, my outfits are not that- oh, Natsu..."

Natsu held up a simple golden chain as he took the key stub from her hand and hooked it onto the necklace, just as the lady from the jewelry store taught him to. He would've had the store lady do it, but he figured if he asked Lucy for it she would ask questions. "I'm sure this will make it easier to keep it around with you," Natsu said, handing the stub back to her, now hooked on the gold necklace. Lucy took it with shaky hands. She brought one up to cover her face. "Hey, don't cry! I can get you something different if you don't like it, or we could get it in silver but I thought since the key was golden that it would go-"

Natsu was silenced when Lucy quickly stood on her tiptoes and kissed his cheek. "It's perfect, Natsu. Thank you so much," Lucy said before leaning her head on his chest and giving him a one-armed hug, holding the necklace in her other hand. Natsu smiled down at her with pink cheeks.

He slightly pushed her away taking the necklace from her hand and asked her to turn around. She did so while moving her hair out of the way from her neck. She shivered at the feel of his warm fingers on the back of her neck. When he finished with the clasp, he turned her back around to face him.

He gave her a big grin and breathed out, "Beautiful," and Lucy couldn't help but return his smile as she reached her arms back up around his neck, pulling them together in a hug once more.

"Thank you, Natsu. So much. For everything," Lucy said quietly, burying her head into his chest and smiling when he brought his arms around her waist, pulling her closer.

"Anything for you, Luce," he said as he buried his head into her hair. He didn't want to call her his, "best friend," anymore. Not when she meant so much more.

Way more.


End file.
